Before I bought this album, and I had only heard some clips from the Net, people told me that it was the worst Angra album ever. I heard that they've gone back to the old style but lost that sound that they've found on "Holy Land". I can agree with this, but I can also say that it's nonsense. Yes, Angra have lost the sound that they had on "Holy Land", but not 100% of it. There's still the same kind of feel in the songs, sometimes with really the same harmonies. New with this album is that they've added a little jam feel to it. Just like Dream theater did with "Falling Into Infinity", not just as much. Angra was a little more cautious with their move, and it problably wasn't consciously done.

All songs on this album has something to offer the listener, which I think is good. It's not speed-metal the whole time, as the rumour said. My favourites, and I really mean favourites, are "Petrified Eyes", "Lisbon", "Fireworks" and "Speed". "Lisbon" is the one I heard a few weeks before and it grew fast into the suit of a good song. I just thought it was strange to release that song as a single, since it's such a slow song. Normally, bands have their fastest songs as singles. I heard someone on the TEoF Mailng list that thought that the only song that gave him anything was "Metal Icarus". This, I can't understand. That song is not even one of the best, even if it has some really good parts in the end. When I spoke about the jam feel before, I'm referring to some of the instrumental parts, best demonstrated in "Petrified Eyes". A song written by Rafael Bittencourt, and as always it's a good one. That guy ha some kind of song writing talent. I think that one is my number one on Fireworks.

Another new thing for the album is the producer, Chris Tsangarides. I don't know if he's the responsibly for this new Angra sound, even if he should be. On "Holy Land" there was this atmospheric nature sound, but Fireworks is just like any other speed album really. The thing that makes it different is the musicians.

TEOF = "The Edge of Forever" (The Symphony X-Mailing-List)